By Johanna McCalmont

This week we talk to Sam Voulters and Anna Watanabe to find out more about Do Re Mi Books, a brand-new London-based publisher that has just released its first titles.

Johanna McCalmont: It’s always exciting to hear about a new kid lit publisher, especially when they are also excited about books from across the world. What made you take the plunge and found Do Re Mi?

Anna Watanabe: A love for Japanese picture books and a feeling that not enough of them were being translated! I’ve always been inspired by the freedom and creativity of Japanese children’s publishing and felt there was an opportunity to introduce these books to a new readership.

Sam Voulters:  Our kids are three and six and we read a lot to them. There are so many wonderful picture books we’ve enjoyed together, but we felt that the board book format was kind of under-utilised as a storytelling medium. It’s been really enjoyable to take a board book-first approach as we develop our list!

JM: And what has it been like getting things up and running in practice? Has it gone as you had expected? Any surprises – pleasant or otherwise – along the way?

SV: It’s been a joy! We’ve been quite ambitious with our title count (14 books in 2026 and around 30 in 2027) but the scale has opened doors for us in terms of conversations with distributors and retailers.

AW: The pleasant surprise is how quickly we’ve been accepted and embraced by the industry. The first few titles we commissioned were from our (extremely talented) friends. Now we’re getting exclusive submissions from New York Times bestselling authors!

JM: What sort of books can we look forward to reading from Do Re Mi? I see the list is currently board books. Will you be branching out to other age groups?

SV: Our list is a real mix. Of the 14 titles scheduled for 2026 we have 7 board books, 5 picture books (3 of which are in translation), and one middle-grade fiction title. Going forward, I expect around 30% of our list will be in-translation.

AW: While Japan holds a special place in our hearts, we’ve acquired Korean, French and German books too.

JM: What sorts of things are you looking for from your creators? What gets you most excited about a new project? What makes you say ‘yes, we have to publish this title’?

SV: Some of our ideas are generated in-house and then we go out to find the best illustrator for the project. Others come to us. But we’re both really attracted to stories that reflect the experience of childhood and that are creative and surprising. We also like cute, weird things.

AW: Most importantly, we’re attracted to really child-centric illustration and storytelling.

JM: Have you had a chance to see how young readers react to your books and stories? Did anything surprise you?

AW: It’s so important to us to have children read our books as we’re working on them, and we feel really confident that our books are fun and interesting for them. It’s not really a surprise but kids are totally immersed when reading or looking at a book that they’re interested in.

SV: That’s why we take them so seriously!

JM: Sam, you’re also a writer yourself and have a couple of titles coming out soon with Do Re Mi: Splash and How to be a cat. As a cat person myself, I love the sound of  the second one, it looks so playful! How did you come up with the ideas? Did the rhyming text come automatically? What was the process for working with illustrator Yoshiko Hada?

SV: Our son Lenny spent about two weeks as a cat, late last year. It was slightly concerning but very inspirational! Following the Japanese cosy cat novel trend, we wanted to create a classic-feeling cat book with a Japanese illustrator for the youngest readers. We found Yoshiko’s work on Instagram and were delighted when she won the Bologna Book Fair Illustration Award soon after we signed her up!

I write in two ways: gradually then suddenly. I’m working on the sequels for both of these titles at the moment and unfortunately am still in the gradual phase!

JM: What has been the most useful piece of advice you’ve been given as a new publisher?

SV: As a publisher, pay attention to cashflow! Publishing is a really complicated business, full of small decisions that can be really impactful both creatively and financially.

JM: And finally, where can readers find your books? Will you have any events with the creators?

AW: Our books will be distributed globally, with the first titles out in the UK in March and in the US in September. Our authors and illustrators will be doing events, so follow us on Instagram for details.

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Follow Do Re Mi on Instagram here for updates and order books from their website here.